BRITISH AFFAIRS

Southland Times, Issue 18975, 23 June 1923, Page 5

BRITISH AFFAIRS

THE MORPETH BY-ELECTION MR ROBERT SMILLIE RETURNED (By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (Australian and N.Z. CabL? Association). LONDON, June 22. (Received June 22, 9.40 p.m.) The Morpeth by-election resulted:— Robert Smillie (Labour), 20,053. F. C. Thornborough (Liberal), 13,087. (At the General Election the result was: J. Cairns (Lab. • 15,026, F. C. Thornborough (L.) 10,007, C. S. Shortt (U.) 6045.)

MINERS’ WAGES. BIG INCREASE WANTED. LONDON, June 21. (Received June 22, 7.15 p.m.) The House of Commons fully debated the position of the mining industry, which has been the subject of considerable agitation. The miners, with 44 members in the Commons, and forming the largest group of the Labour Party, introduced a minimum wage Bill providing a minimum wage 76 per cent, above the 1914 basis, with subsequent adjustments according to the cost of living as shown by the official index figures. It was agreed that this would mean £12.500,000, which Mr Adamson suggested the owners Could make up by better organisation of industry and elimination of intermediate profits. The owners replied that the Bill would mean unemployment, and dearer coal. Mr Hartshorn said the Bill would raise the wages of 20 lower grades of workers in South Wales to only about 45/4, for a fiveday week. With the present wage there was no hope of industrial peace. Sir Philip Lloyd-Greame said the Bill meant jettisoning the existing agreement, which was working well. The present wages were not the result of a faulty agreement, but were due to economic conditions surrounding this and other industries. The Bill was rejected by 230 to 154 votes. MURDERED BOY IN PERAMBULATOR. SENSATIONAL ARREST OF A WOMAN. LONDON, June 21. (Received June 22, 7.15 p.m.) The Glasgow police made a sensational discovery of a body of a murdered boy, aged 12, which was wheeled in a perambulator through a ifesy street by a young woman. The body was wrapped in a bed mat. It is believed a previous attempt had been made to burn the body, the hair on the scalp being singed. The woman, who was accompanied by a small daughter, was arrested. The police believe that the boy was strangled at Coatbridge, 12 miles from Glasgow, and the body taken in a perambulator in order to be disposed of in Glasgow. The motive is a mystery. The early arrest of a man is expected.

HANDLING OF FRUIT. THE PROBLEM OF THE MIDDLEMEN. LONDON, June 22. (Received June 22, 10.10 p.m.) Striking evidence of the influence of middlemen upon the price of British fruit was disclosed in the report of the departmental committee upon fruit and vegetables. The report states there were often six intermediaries between grower and consumer. First there was the London commission salesman, then the London wholesale dealer, the London commission buyer*., the provincial wholesaler, a second provincial wholesaler and provincial retailer. This says the report may involve 16 to 20 different handlings of produce. Much of the fruit and vegetables which were now sent to Covent Garden would be better con signed to provincial markets direct. It was essential that railway rates should be greatly reduced. Other recommendations were: quicker handling of soft fruit on railways, use of cash on delivery system, and licensing of commission salesmen. The report add: “Covent Garden is wholly inadequate to deal efficiently with the volume of produce handled. Searching investigation is necessary into the magnitude and incidence of existing market charges which is the subject of general complaint and their legality is questioned. On the whole, retailers do not appear to make excessive profits. The problem of disposing of surplus fruit—largely dependent on the prosperity of the jam industry. Canning fruit, provides another outlet. More progressive methods in this direction are required on the part of British manufacturers.” SMALL-POX. A MILD OUTBREAK. LONDON, June 21. Of 210 cases of chicken-pox announced within 18 days in Gloucester, 100 have been re-diagnosed as small-pox of a mild type. There are now 148 cases reported, also one case near Worcester.